japan
JOURNAL
THE INTERNATIONAL EDITION OF TOKYO JOURNAL
Published simultaneously in both editions
January 1988Singapore:
Island Paradise of the Modern Kindby Thomas M. Smith
The jet sped away from the drenching monsoon. Melawend, my Honda scooter, was tucked safely below in cargo. I wrote in my journal of this world odyssey for peace and friendship... where I had been... where I was going... A pause... that apprehension of an unfamiliar destination. I entered what I knew of the place: "...the main island is 41 kilometers long by 22 wide anchored off the tip of Peninsula Malaysia, 1 degree north of the Equator... 2.5 million people: 77 percent Chinese, 15 percent Malay, 6 percent Indian, 2 percent Other... once a British colonial port, now a thriving republic... a transportation crossroads, global telecommunications, banking, shopping... a clean place..." The dreary weather was behind us - ahead lay the prospect of a bustling, tropical paradise called Singapore. A few hours later, the jet landed smoothly.
Having spent the last seven months in developing countries, now moving through Singapore's ultra-modern and still-expanding Changi Airport, there came a feeling of coming back to the future. Outside, I felt the embrace of Singapore's year-round warm, humid air. With a taxi flagfall of S$1.60, and maximum bus fares of S$0.80, I soon became a Singapore explorer (The new Mass Rapid Transit - MRT - began operating on November 7, 1987.)
I roamed Orchard Road - one of the main areas of Singapore's shopping fame, with its glittering shopping centers carrying goods from around the world at bargain prices. Scattered about the city were Singapore's world-class hotels, including the Westin Stamford, the world's tallest at 73 stories. They were architectural marvels with opulent, state-of-the-art interiors. The modern, youthful skyline was a wonder to behold from skyscraping restaurants, especially when juxtaposed with the low, red-tiled roofs of Chinatown's old shophouses.
Singapore was immaculate. Sidewalks were beautifully tiled in major areas. Greenery was everywhere, including planters near buildings and along sidewalks. Trees, gardens and parks abounded. There were surprising contrasts of skyscrapers, old Chinese temples, mosques, stately colonial architecture, of bustling shopping centers and the local jabber in the markets of Chinatown, Little India and Arab Street. There was the quiet of gardens, tree-lined side streets and waterside promenades. Traffic was sometimes heavy, but always orderly.
Also surprising was the number of attractions and things to do. There was a relaxing bus tour of the city and west coast. It took us to such places as Mount Faber for views of the city and its port (one of the busiest in the world) and Tiger Balm Gardens with its colorful stone figures depicting Chinese fables and the afterlife. Before the final stop at the Botanical Gardens, there was a lively culture show at a special place - Raffles Hotel.
To walk the streets of Singapore was pure pleasure. Such contrasts. Such harmony. Amidst downtown skyscrapers there was Chinatown with laundry hung on poles over its narrow streets. On some evenings, you might catch an open-air concert or wayang (Chinese street opera). Yet at its heart was the intriguing Sri Mariamman Temple, the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore. You could sit on a bench on the old boat quay in the evening and see couples (local or foreign) walk slowly along the promenade or stop by an elegant lamppost to silently watch the reflections of skyscrapers and the old shipping offices ripple over the Singapore River. At breakfast in the hawkers' center on the quay (one of Singapore's famous open-air kitchen areas for fast, ethnic foods), you'd see Singaporeans walking across picturesque Cavenaugh Bridge on their way to work, wearing contrasting attire - from three-piece suits to saris. There was the aroma of burning incense and spice from shops in Little India and handicrafts in the markets along Arab Street. Of course, the quintessential tri-shaws and their drivers were at your service most anywhere.
Singapore makes the bold claim of being "a nation in pursuit of excellence." It is. You see it in the look of Singapore - industrious without looking industrial. The atmosphere is relaxed yet productive. Perhaps it's due in part to the peace among its multi-racial population. They seem to make fun, not feuds as evidenced by their many bright and spirited cultural festivals.
Travelling outside the city, I discovered the charm of the beautiful Chinese Gardens. There was the tranquil yet lively zoo with its performing animals and innovative, natural "psychological barriers." You could have breakfast with a rather affectionate orangutan. Jurong Birdpark had some of Singapore's famous songbirds to serenade you as you ate a buffet breakfast outdoors. There was a tram tour, an amazing birdshow and a walk through the world's largest aviary. An island tour out of Clifford Pier on an authentic Chinese junk landed you on Pulau Kusu to see an ancient Chinese temple, then took you past Sentosa Island - Singapore's four-world travel resort: nature, history, fun and sun.
Singapore has become a base for travelers to romantic, exotic places as in nearby Malaysia and Thailand. One visited by your writer was off the east coast of Malaysia, an island of natural pristine beauty - Pulau Tioman - nominated as one of the Ten Most Beautiful Islands in the World. You can fly there from Singapore in a bout 45 minutes, but I took a bus to Mersing, then went native by riding in a rolling bum-boat for four hours. The rugged shore of Tioman emerged from a haze as if in a dream. Near the village of Tekek was Tioman Island Resort, the only such facility on the island. There you had seaside golfing, watersports, and plush amenities in harmony with natural, idyllic surroundings. The mountainous island was covered in lush, tropical vegetation. There were no roads of length, mostly palm-shaded sandy paths which meandered beside inviting beaches. There were inexpensive cafés for dining and seaside huts for along along those shoreline trails. You could trek across the island in a few hours over jungle paths. On the beaches there were campfires in the evening and beach walks under a full moon with romantic silhouettes of palm trees and mountains. Oh, to be shipwrecked here! Little wonder Tioman was a film site of James Michener's mythical "Bali Hai" in the movie version of his Tales of the South Pacific.
Though it was sad to leave Tioman, it was time to return to that paradise of the modern kind. There had been so much to see and o in Singapore, so much more to chose from - gourmet restaurants, sports, golfing, and a wide variety of shows and entertainment. In eight weeks spent there, I was never bored.
I found a special place that gave a feeling of elegant comfort, nostalgia, and, if I dare say, déjà vu. Somerset Maugham, one author on its long list of celebrated patrons, said, "(Raffles) stands for all the fables of the exotic East." He meant the Raffles - the 101-year-old grand dame of Singapore hotels. It is more than a place of surviving colonial elegance, it is a setting. Once could imagine the likes of Agatha Christie sitting at a table in a corner of the Palm Court by the pool, studying the guests, or picture Marlon Brando at the Long Bar, downing a Singapore Sling (where the gin-based drink was created in 1915).
With so much to offer visitors and residents now, the future looks even more exciting as the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board proceeds with its ambitious, four-year, one-billion-dollar "Tourist Development Plan."
On the Tokyo-bound jet, with Melawend cradled below, I couldn't help becoming a bit misty-eyed, looking back at Singapore until it was out of sight. Then I smiled in the knowledge of a paradise found.###
The editor honored me with that prominent photo in the lower right corner
and this detailed caption above it:
"Thomas M. Smith is a free-lance writer and photographer who is 16 months into a 22-month journey around the world called "Cycle for Life - World Odyssey." Melawend is a Honda Elite 250cc motorscooter named after his daughters Melanie (12) and Wendy (10). He's covered about 42,000 kilometers through Britain, Scandinavia, Europe, Africa, India, Nepal, Southeast Asia to Japan, visiting 27 countries since starting from London, England, on July 8, 1986."
Below the photo: "Author Tom Smith on Melawend"